There's a straight line between the reversal of Roe v. Wade and America's broken systems of democracy. That's because both abortion access and representation are essential for equality and full civic participation. With rulings that roll back voting rights and green-light extreme partisan gerrymandering, the Supreme Court has undermined the tools it says can be used to protect reproductive rights. The failings in our democratic systems led us to this moment. Now we must fight back against antidemocratic movements.

The Supreme Court's decision striking down a century-old New York handgun licensing requirement signals the most significant expansion of gun rights in U.S. history. Not only will the ruling allow more people to carry concealed weapons, but it will also force courts to ignore public safety considerations when assessing gun rules. Beyond enabling an increase in armed confrontations, this decision will also reverberate through courtrooms and legislatures across the country in the months and years to come.

Even as the events that led to the January 6 insurrection are laid bare, we must remember that the threat to our elections continue. Some of the people who participated in the plot are now supporting activists seeking illegal access to voting machines across the country. Increased security funding is necessary to protect our elections from these mounting insider threats.

Trump and his allies exploited shortfalls in the Electoral Count Act — which dictates how the Electoral College selects the president and vice president — to try to overturn the 2020 election. A new Brennan Center explainer details key provisions of the law, its vulnerabilities, and how Congress can fix it. Both Democratic and Republican members of Congress want to reform the Electoral Count Act. To ensure that the will of the American people is respected in the next presidential election, they must act to change it immediately.

The Supreme Court's decision today slashes the Environmental Protection Agency's ability to combat climate change by restricting its authority to limit dangerous carbon emissions from power plants. Beyond the bleak implications for the climate crisis, the anti-regulatory arguments used in the ruling could also be employed to undermine a host of public health, labor, and consumer protections in the near future. It is now up to Congress to preserve the government's ability to engage in evidence-based policymaking for the common good.

After the deadly mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas, some have called for increased social media monitoring to prevent future tragedies. However, schools should be wary of adding such measures to their safety toolkit. Not only are these technologies prone to error, but they've also proven to be harmful to youth, particularly students of color and other marginalized groups. Instead of insisting on online surveillance, we should focus on bolstering support for our youth and strengthening gun control measures.

Putting Revenue Over Public Safety
Wednesday, July 6 // 1–2 p.m. ET
Efforts to reform the criminal justice system have been consistently thwarted by those who make money off of mass incarceration. Join us for a live discussion about what action must be taken by state, federal, and local governments to unravel these financial incentives with moderator Laura Coates, CNN senior legal analyst; Lisa Foster, co-director of the Fines and Fees Justice Center; Carmen Best, former Seattle police chief; Que Williams, paralegal and civil advocate for ArchCity Defenders; and Ram Subramanian, managing director of the Brennan Center's Justice Program.  RSVP today.

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